Petzold: Willie Reid deserves to play, and the NCAA needs a rule change
Human error is a part of football. Always has been, likely always will be.
Central Michigan got one final, untimed down after a live ball penalty for a loss of downs that led to a Hail Mary to topple No. 22 Oklahoma State, 30-27, on the road in 2016.
According to a Mid-American Conference official following the upset, the Chippewas should've never had a chance for that last play. If proper rules would've been followed, an untimed play after a penalty for a loss of downs would not have occurred.
NCAA Rule 1.1.3.b confirmed the result of the game was final, and that it could not be overturned later on.
That's called human error on a play that couldn't be changed.
The incorrect call impacted the Central Michigan and Oklahoma State programs that day – every player, every coach, every fan.
But it did not impact just one player.
It's different this season.
Willie Reid, a safety for the Chippewas, was singled out.
Not the team. Not the coaches. Not the fans.
Just Willie Reid.
With 4:07 left in the third quarter against Western Michigan on Sept. 28, Reid was called for targeting after tackling Broncos wide receiver Jaylen Hall. He was ejected from the game and forced to miss the first half against Eastern Michigan, the Chippewas' opponent on Oct. 5.
Just two days later, the Mid-American Conference announced the targeting penalty on Reid was "incorrect," and the safety should've never been disqualified from the contest.
As for not being able to play in the first half against the Eagles, that was still intact – even though Reid didn't do anything wrong.
You're telling me the NCAA has Reid in time out for making a tackle?
Yeah, that doesn't make much sense.
There needs to be a rule change.
And Central Michigan first-year coach Jim McElwain thinks the same.
"Look, there’s nothing we can do about it," McElwain recalled telling Reid. "When you get a chance to play, just play hard. But you might be the poster child for getting that reversed."
The NCAA rule book clearly states the situation in Rule 5, Section 2, Article 9.
NCAA Rule 5.2.9: "No rule decision may be changed after the ball is next legally snapped, legally free-kicked or the second or fourth periods have ended."
Even though the rule states a call cannot be changed, I think there should be a note regarding targeting and other disqualification penalties that can be reviewed.
If the Mid-American Conference is going to put out a statement that the call was incorrect, shouldn't that mean the disqualification is incorrect, too?
That would make the most sense, and there needs to be a rule in place for that to happen. The situation Reid was involved in is likely to happen again, whether it be this season or further down the road.
When Reid found out he wouldn't be able to play despite the conference apologizing for the mistake, he shared his emotions on Twitter. He wasn't happy.
"I missed half the game on Saturday after being ejected for a bad call, that’s one thing," Reid wrote on Twitter," but now you telling me I still have to miss the first half of the next game, even after the conference admitted to the call being incorrect. That’s crazy!"
Reid's not wrong.
That is crazy.
Explaining why it wasn't targeting
To fully understand why the targeting call on Reid was incorrect, I contacted Coordinator of Football Officials for the Collegiate Officiating Consortium Bill Carollo, who works directly with the MAC.
Allow Carollo to explain in full.
"Just because there's a helmet-to-helmet hit, it doesn't automatically mean qualify it for a targeting call," Carollo said. "You have to have an indicator. Dipping the head and taking an aim is an indicator, but that doesn't mean it's a foul. It has to be attacking. The word attacking, with forcible contact, is important. If a player keeps his head up, wraps up and gets his head to the side, those are good indicators. Bad indicators are a launch, thrust up or lowing your head."
Now for Carollo's part about Reid's tackle that resulted in the mistaken targeting call.
"He lowered his head, but it wasn't enough forcible contact," Carollo said. "It wasn't attacking. There was clearly a helmet-to-helmet hit, but it wasn't forcible enough. That's what was lacking slightly."
The tackle Reid made on Hall with his helmet wasn't malicious. If every play was called targeting when two helmets made contact, there would be too many penalties to count. Just because the crown of Reid's helmet connected with the crown of Hall's, it doesn't automatically qualify as an illegal tackle, Carollo explained.
"It's a judgment," Carollo said. "This was a really close call."
Carollo made it clear the officials working the game were just trying to keep all players on the field safe. I don't have any issues with that. I commend that, to be quite frank.
McElwain also praised the conference's ability to admit the mistake, stand behind it and not hide from the situation.
"I think it says a lot about our people in our office to actually step up and admit fault," McElwain said. "Does it help Willie in this case? No. He’s still going to miss the first half of the game. He obviously already missed most the second half of the last game.
"What it will do is open the eyes of the committee as they put in the rules for next year."
NCAA needs to change
My issue is with the NCAA's rule book – the only thing holding Reid back from playing against in-state opponent Eastern Michigan in the first half.
There isn't enough grace for players like Reid that get something taken from them by officials during a game. While it's rare, the situation occurs. Reid is one example.
The NCAA needs to give Reid and others in his shoes a break, especially when they don't deserve to be at fault.
Reid is a football player. Sure, he's a student first, but he's also a football player. That's why he came to Central Michigan.
Every chance he gets to play is an opportunity some people only dream of.
And to force him to miss one (two halves) of the 12 guaranteed opportunities in the season over something he never did, that's disappointing.
The fact of the matter is Reid was punished for something he didn't do wrong. Of the 48 games he gets over a four-year career, one was robbed from him.
It's time the NCAA makes a change.
